Assessing flexibility in supply chain using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system

Supply chain flexibility assessment (SCFA) has been considered as a major determinant of competitiveness in world class manufacturing. The environmental issues as well as speed, variety, flexibility and integration in production line come along with customer relationship and mass customization concept should come to light in today's research studies. To achieve competitive edge, companies must align with suppliers and customers to streamline operation as well as flexibility characteristics beyond individual companies. How ever, so far a little effort has been made to assess flexibility in recent years. Therefore, due to ambiguity of flexibility assessment an ANFIS model has been developed for evaluating flexibility in supply chain, considering flexibility attributes such as operation, new product and responsiveness. This evaluation helps managers to perform gap analysis between existent flexibility level and the desired one.